


With a Beating Heart

by LostLegend



Category: The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
Genre: Character Death, Death, High School AU, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, NSFW, Reincarnation, death mention, sex scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2015-10-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 08:49:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5041846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostLegend/pseuds/LostLegend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is basically a reincarnation/high school au in which patroclus and achilles meet again and are able to live their lives together again. some nsfw, possibility of sad stuff happening.. Here's the  <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/eggar00/playlist/0MwxynrvbC6nPASUICBc5e">playlist</a> I made for them<br/>hit me up at <a href="http://bramare.co.vu/">bramare.co.vu</a> for update info</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. prologue: cliché

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is my first fic and ahh I know high school aus are very unoriginal but please try and stick with me haha!  
> Here's the link to the playlist I was listening to as I was writing this if you want to listen to it!!  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/eggar00/playlist/0MwxynrvbC6nPASUICBc5e

I groaned as I sat up in bed to the loud beeping of my alarm. There was nothing good about this situation. It was six thirty in the morning and it was freezing. I hit the snooze button and rolled over in bed, tugging my blankets up and over my head. Whatever. It was fine if I skipped a shower today. I didn’t even manage to doze off for a few more minutes before my alarm went off again and I sighed in exasperation. Oh well. Might as well get up.

I turned off my alarm and rolled out of my bed, sighing once more for good measure. Pulling on a random t-shirt and some jeans, I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair and just generally get ready for the day. My brain was sort of in autopilot mode since it was so early and I wasn’t really hungry or anything so I figured I wouldn’t waste time on making breakfast, instead just grabbing the same power bar that I told myself I was going to eat for breakfast yesterday morning and grabbing my school bag. It occurred to me that I hadn’t seen my dad around this morning but I figure he’s probably at work or something.. Who cared anyway, it wasn’t like he even enjoyed being around me or anything.

When all of my things were in order I walked out the door, not bothering to lock it behind me. Our house wasn’t all that far away from my high school and that unfortunately meant that I got to walk each and every gloriously foggy day to a place that I hated more than anything else. To be fair it wasn’t as if the school itself was so bad, but the collective unpleasantness of droning teachers, early mornings, and crowded dirty halls with gross cafeteria food was just.. Well.. Hell on earth. Not to mention the fact that I sort of kept to myself so I didn’t really have any friends to make the experience better for myself. I sighed for a third time as I reached the school building and walked inside, finding my first class and flopping down at my desk, thankfully in the back. Time for another day in hell. Awesome.

 

The class periods passed in a dull blur as they always did and I found myself almost falling asleep on more than one occasion, moving from one class to the next without much thought, not really paying attention to anything at all. That is not until I saw something, someone, who caught my eye. I didn’t know who he was, I had never seen him around before but something about his golden curls, the way he seemed to light up the dark and gloomy morning seemed all too familiar to me. I watched as he walked and sat down a few seats away from my own. The area around him was immediately overtaken by students, everyone trying their hardest to earn his attention. _Great._ I found myself thinking. _Another obnoxious popular kid._

Class was definitely more annoying with this new addition and his massive fanclub. I found myself huffing in vague annoyance every once in awhile as I tried to focus on anything other than the cute new kid in the class. Wait. _Cute.. Ugh_.. He was definitely attractive, there was no point in denying it. The teacher began calling role and the class quieted down a bit. I quirked an eyebrow as I heard his name.

“Achilles Sideris?” She called and his hand shot up.

“Present” He chimed, loud and clear, his voice like honey or something equally as sweet. I could already see why he was so popular. It just made me groan to myself. His name is ironic, considering my own, Patroclus, named by my father and forever doomed to be the sidekick of someone stronger. I scoffed softly as I thought about it, but was soon distracted from my brooding by the teacher calling out my own name.

“Patroclus Remes?” She called, and I raised my hand, muttering a small and not nearly as grand “Here.”

The teacher continued on with the role call, soon finishing up and starting on with the days lesson. I wasn’t paying attention, as usual, but today instead of being focused on something like my shoes or how many dicks were drawn on the desk in front of me I was focused on something much more interesting. Achilles, as I now knew him to be called, seemed to be balancing pencils on his fingers, entertaining the large group of kids crowded around him. I tried not to be drawn in, tried to stop staring, but found my eyes drawn to him none the less, only looking away when he dropped one of the pencils and it rolled to my feet. My face flushed as his eyes went to me and I leaned down to retrieve it.

“Thanks,” He said with a small smile. My cheeks warmed and I quickly turned my gaze back to my own desk, studying it as if it were the most interesting object in the entire universe. _Shit_ , I thought to myself. I had a crush on a popular kid. How fucking typical.

 

 


	2. memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this gets real gay real fast  
>  Here's the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/eggar00/playlist/0MwxynrvbC6nPASUICBc5e) I made for them  
> hit me up at [mothurl.tumblr.com](http://mothurl.tumblr.com/) for update info

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so enjoy this chapter its a bit longer than the first aha

It had been three days since I first laid eyes on the golden haired mystery that was Achilles Sideris and I was beginning to feel stranger and stranger. For one thing Achilles was gorgeous, popular, and sporty and his fanclub seemed to grow every day along with my feelings for him, but another thing that made me feel stranger still was the dreams. They had started almost as soon as I had fallen asleep on the first night I had seen him and had continued to return ever since, bringing flashes of things that felt like memories, of Achilles, of laying beside him, fighting beside him, Something about figs and a feeling that ran deeper than I could seem to imagine in my waking hours. But it wasn’t him, and it wasn’t me. They were different people, a different life maybe, but I was seeing them even so and felt a strange connection to them none the less. I figured I was just going crazy and tried to continue on with my days like a normal person would, but as time moved on and the dreams came more and more I found it increasingly harder to be in class and around Achilles. Wonderful popular Achilles. At times, his gaze would meet mine and I would think I had seen something of recognition in his eyes, but then they would flit away again, almost nervously, as if he did not want me to catch him staring at me.

There were still times when I felt like my crush on the jock, the prodigy, the most popular kid in school even after only a few days was a bit clichéd, but when he and his group sat down at the table I usually ate at I didn’t care one bit about the stupid high school tropes. He smiled at me as he sat and I shuffled to the side slightly to make room.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” He asked in his smooth, sing-song voice, fully aware that I didn’t mind but asking anyway for some obscene reason. I shook my head wordlessly and he nodded to his friends or followers or whatever one could call the flocks of people lining up around street corners just to look at him. They crowded around us and I quirked an eyebrow as people moved to sit in between the two of us. I sighed and moved over a bit and it was then I realized that Achilles had slipped a note into my bag. _I need to talk to you_ , it read _Meet me in the library after lunch if you can._ I blinked up at him and he caught my eye, offering me a small nod. I felt my face heat slightly and shoved the note into my pocket, wondering what could be happening.

 

After lunch I of course headed towards the library, ditching my sixth period class.

“This had better be worth it…” I muttered under my breath, knowing full well that it would be to have a chance to talk to the other. I turned a corner quickly, nearly bumping into Achilles in the process who seemed to be on his way to the same place I was. He looked surprised for a moment before he grinned and grabbed my arm.

“Come on,” He said in a quiet and perhaps nervous voice, pulling me the rest of the way to the library as I followed along, dumbfounded. When he had finally dragged me into a section of the library that was more secluded he released my arm, staring at me as if he was now unsure of what to say. I didn’t know why he had brought me here so I just stared at him, waiting for him to speak. He cleared his throat. There seemed to be a question on his mind, something that maybe he was afraid to ask. I wondered for a moment if it had something to do with the dreams before clearing that idea from my mind. It was crazy to think he might share the same dreams with me of all things, no matter how real they had seemed, I was sure they were a delusion. I cleared my throat as well.

“You uh.. You wanted to talk to me?” I asked hesitantly, continuing to stare at him as he stood there wordlessly. “You know I ditched class for this,” I added. “If you’re just going to stand there staring at me I should probably just go back…” This seemed to shake him from whatever trance he was in and he made a little “ah” sound, nodding.

“Right sorry!” He responded, careful to keep his voice low perhaps in fear that a teacher might find us and send us back to class. “I have something to ask you but.. I’m not sure how to say it..” He seemed to trail off, looking kind of distraught. He looked at me and seemed to gain some kind of courage, looking a bit more solid in his standing than he had before. “I want to know.. Do you remember..?” He left the end of the question open. _Remember what?_ He couldn’t possibly mean the dreams.. I stammered, not quite able to form words. He seemed to take this as a good sign and I saw hope flicker in his eyes.

“This is crazy..” Are the words that finally came out of my mouth but from the way I was looking at him I could see that he knew I didn’t find it crazy at all. He took my hand in his and my breath caught in my throat.

“I know.” He responded. I suddenly found myself overwhelmed by the situation, by the dreams- no, by the memories of what we were, and I could see by the way he was looking at me that he felt the same. “Patroclus..” He murmured and with his words came flashes of all the times I had heard it before. From his lips and at the same time not. Never before in this life had I heard anything so beautiful as the way he said my name. I kissed him and felt his breath hitch against my lips, then his hand moved to the back of my head and his lips moved against mine. It took me a moment to realize I was crying, then we both were crying, sobbing and laughing against each other at the same time. I pulled back from the kiss.

“I missed you..” I whispered, now remembering how much I had. He kissed me again and his with his lips came the words that he didn’t have to say. _I am here now._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started crying while writing this so please enjoy it omg


	3. wonderboy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there's nsfw in this one oh my ggggooooodddd  
>  Here's the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/eggar00/playlist/0MwxynrvbC6nPASUICBc5e) I made for them  
> hit me up at [mothurl.tumblr.com](http://mothurl.tumblr.com/) for update info

“This is so weird, isn’t it?” Achilles and I were sitting on the grass after his track and field practice. Running was always something he had been good at, even before this life, I especially knew that.

“What is?” I asked, knowing full well what he meant by the statement.

“All of this,” He responded, gesturing to the both of us. “I’ve only known you a couple of days but.. At the same time it’s been much longer… It’s hard to understand..” He was staring at me and I found it hard to focus on his words instead of his eyes. Even so I responded with a small chuckle.

“I know what you mean… But I’m happy about it..” I continued to stare at him and he nodded in agreement, offering me a small smile and taking my hand in his own, tracing the lines of my palm with his index finger. Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered that he was speaking again, saying something about life lines, but I was focusing too hard on his features to truly listen. I was captivated by the way his soft golden curls fell over his eyes as he studied the lines of my hand, by his strong jawline, his cheekbones, the soft tint of pink spread across his cheeks. I wondered briefly if he still had the blood of Thetis in his veins. If he did not, his beauty had held without it. He truly was a wonder. Amusement crossed his features as he caught me staring but I was unashamed, smiling at him.

“Patroclus..” He murmured, and it sounded as if he had something else to say following it.

“Mm?” I responded, captivated by the way his voice framed the syllables of my name.

“Would you like to come over to my house today?” He asked me, then I saw a small spark of mischief in his eyes. “My mother won’t be home.” It took me a moment to register the meaning of what he had said and when his words sunk in I felt a blush spreading over my cheeks to the tips of my ears. I let out a small laugh, grinning.

“I feel like we’ve been here before,” I said. He laughed.

 

Achilles stood up, still holding my hand and ended up pulling me up with him. He lead me towards the parking lot and when I asked him where we were going he just turned to me and grinned.

“My car.” I made a mental note to tell him again at another point in time that a car was another good place to “hang out” when his mother was home, but since she wasn’t I figured Achilles’ bedroom would be just as good. He lead me to his car, not a sports car or anything but still a nice one. I wondered if he was blessed enough in this life to be born into a family with money. I climbed in the passenger side and he instructed me to buckle up as he started the car and began to drive to his house. I stared at Achilles as he drove and thought about how strange it was that we were able to fade into each others lives like this, almost like puzzle pieces. Made to fit with each other. He looked over at me, noticing that I was staring. I smiled at him.

“Eyes on the road..” I reminded him, as if I had done it a million times before. He drove for a few minutes more before pulling into the driveway of a fairly large house, much larger than mine was. I quirked an eyebrow. So he was wealthy. Not that it mattered to me how much money he had. He parked the car and climbed out, walking around the car to open the door for me. I made a joke about him being a gentleman, he punched me in the arm and led me up to the front porch of his house.

Achilles unlocked the front door and led me inside, smiling at me as I admired the interior of his house. He then took my hand and squeezed it.

“Come on,” He invited, “Let’s go watch Netflix upstairs in my room.” I raised an eyebrow but followed him anyway, feeling my face heat up again. The thought of kissing Achilles again, feeling him in ways that I had not yet done in this life sent shivers down my spine but I managed to keep my composure as he opened the door to his bedroom and led me to the bed, opening his laptop and pulling up Netflix in his web browser. I watched as his expression turned to one of amusement and he pulled up Hercules, pressing play on the screen. I snorted and gave him a look but he just grinned, flopping down on the bed before tugging me down with him.

I smiled as he scooted closer to me, putting one arm around my shoulders. I leaned into his touch and we watched as the movie opened up. As the film progressed Achilles and I grew more and more hysterical with all the inaccuracies we had never known to exist before. We laughed at stupid things which shouldn’t have been as funny as we found them and then he kissed me. I did not know how it had happened, only that his lips were on mine and I was kissing him back eagerly. When he pulled back I grinned.

“Stopping so soon, _wonderboy_?” I put a little emphasis on the last word and he snorted, connecting our lips again. The movie was forgotten, the only thing I could think about was Achilles. How his lips tasted, how his breaths felt short and stuttered each time we broke apart briefly. Golden, perfect Achilles, my Achilles. He shifted so he was straddling my hips and my breath caught once more in my throat. I gasped his name and his hips rolled down slowly against mine. Shirts were gradually discarded, getting caught over our heads as we struggled to be rid of them, then pants, pulled down only to the knees and getting tangled together, then boxers and then he was against me, closer than I had felt him in this life but the feeling was still familiar. Our breath mingled as we moved together and I felt my need growing within me. Achilles moaned and his saccharine voice framing the syllables of my name in such a way pushed me over the edge. I gasped and he was next. As we lay there panting, slumped against one another, I heard Achilles chuckle breathily.

“I remember that..” He said, and I smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhh holy shit im so sorry im so bad at writing that kind of thing i was screaming the whole time
> 
> check with me at mothurl.tumblr.com for update stuff aaa ill ususally update on tuesdays


	4. timeless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patroclus is stressed, Achilles is here to help.  
> Here's the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/eggar00/playlist/0MwxynrvbC6nPASUICBc5e) I made for them  
> hit me up at [mothurl.tumblr.com](http://mothurl.tumblr.com/) for update info

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was supposed to be doing schoolwork but did this instead, enjoy

The nights I spent at Achilles house, in his bed, by his side made up for any other dismal occurrence that I had ever experienced in my life. Colours seemed brighter, days seemed warmer, it was as if I was in love with the sun itself. Some days I had even found myself looking forward to school, not the lessons or crowded pushing hallways but the times when Achilles would stare at me as if I were the only thing that mattered to him. It was a little bit hard not being able to sleep next to him every night, especially when I still had memories of the times that we did, but we got by with what we could do, sleeping at each other’s houses whenever we got the chance and just generally spending as much time as possible with one another.

The school year flew by much quicker with he and I together. It seemed as though the moments couldn’t last long enough. Before either of us knew what was happening we found the topic of college and college applications coming up. I thought I wanted to go into medicine as I always had, Achilles, naturally, wanted to go into something sports related. He wanted to be an Olympiad and I had no doubt that he could do it. He was incredible. Fast and strong. Someone to admire just as he had always been. I started to pay better attention in class, keeping my grades up so that I would be admirable in my applications. Achilles might have the money to go to college even without a scholarship but I didn’t so I was going to have to make myself look as good as possible so I would have a better chance at getting a scholarship.

I sat on my bed, sighing softly in exasperation as I filled out application after application, checking my phone occasionally and smiling at the small texts of encouragement from Achilles. He always made everything seem so much less hopeless. It was like he was the air in my lungs. I finished up with another application and checked my phone as it pinged again. _I’m outside_ , read the text from Achilles. _Take a break from apps and come with me for a little bit._ I smiled, glad for the distraction and grabbed my phone, running to the door and going out to the front of my house where I spotted Achilles in his car, waiting for me. I climbed into his car and he smiled at me.

“Hey, figured you could use a break from all that hard work. Was I right?” He looked at me and I nodded gratefully.

“Yeah thanks.. I was getting a little overwhelmed..” I replied in a voice that showed my exhaustion. He gave me a sympathetic look before speaking again.

“I found an empty lot down the highway a ways.. Thought maybe we could just drive for a bit and then..” He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe just hang out there.. In the car..” I grinned and nodded, to which he smiled and started up his car again, beginning to drive as I watched him, glad for his presence. There was nothing I liked more than just going off with Achilles, just the two of us with no distractions. I believed that he felt the same, although we had never discussed it. We did not feel the need to.

Achilles would occasionally look over at me and offer me a small smile as he drove. I chided him to keep his eyes on the road as I often did and he just chuckled, turning back to watch the nearly empty highway. We didn’t live in a very populous area and around this time of day there were usually only a few other cars on the road. I sighed softly to myself and listened to the radio, looking out the window and smiling before looking back to Achilles. I considered maybe saying something about how much better he made life but figured it didn’t need to be said. He knew how much I cared for him. He hummed softly along to the song on the radio. I didn’t know what it was but it was beautiful.

“Achilles..” I murmured and again he turned his head slightly to glance at me.

“Mm?” He responded and I smiled softly.

“Will you sing to me?” I asked softly, feeling reminiscent of the times when he would play and sing beautiful songs to me, the times when I was overtaken by the beauty of his voice. He smiled a bit wider, focusing back on the road as he began to sing an older song, one from before, one I was surprised he remembered but was familiar to me as well. He sang of ghosts and lovers, of two souls entwined sinking towards the underworld. As I listened I realized that my face had grown wet with tears and I smiled softly.

“You’re beautiful..” I murmured to him. Everything about him was beauty. His lilting voice seemed to stop time and all I could think about was our two souls, forever bound, intertwined, how we had been offered another chance at a happier life, how I was able to love him again with living eyes, with a beating heart. I sighed wistfully and he stopped singing, looking over to me and catching sight of my expression. He then pulled the car over to the side of the road, stopping it and before I knew what was happening his lips were on mine. It seemed a lot of kisses happened this way, suddenly, unexpectedly. I was happy. I was happy to be alive, to be here, but mostly I was happy to be with Achilles. My eyes fluttered closed as I began to kiss him back, slowly and then passionately, then, as if my body was acting on its own accord, I climbed from my seat and into his lap, continuing to kiss him, desperate to be closer to the boy I held most dear.

“Patroclus..” He murmured against my lips and the world stood still. There was nothing else but him. There would never be anything else but him. He was gold and I was the sun that made him shine. I would never leave him. Not in this life or any other. That, I knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry aaaahhhh ill update a few more times today because i actually have an idea of where i want this to go hhh!! sorry for any errors!!


	5. stress relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhh NSFW AGAIN,,, more intense than last time im so sorry  
> Here's the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/eggar00/playlist/0MwxynrvbC6nPASUICBc5e) I made for them  
> hit me up at [mothurl.tumblr.com](http://mothurl.tumblr.com/) for update info

We had submitted our applications to colleges and for scholarships and now all that was left to do was wait. The waiting period was a very stressful one, especially for me since I had no extraordinary talents besides my interest in medicine and medical studies. Achilles made sure to keep me busy during this time, watching movies with me and taking me on long drives. It would usually end with one or both of us falling asleep on the other. Achilles mother was strict but kinder towards me than Thetis had been and I was grateful when she let me stay over at night or just for dinner. Some nights we stayed at my own house, my father liked Achilles and treated him with more interest than he treated me which kind of bothered me, but at least he liked him. Achilles made sure to make me feel included in the conversations they were having about college. My dad seemed pleased that I was finally taking an interest in school.

 College really wasn’t what I wanted to talk about in the free time that we had together so I would always change the subject after a few minutes. Achilles would tease me for it occasionally but I knew he understood that it was stressing me and so he went along with whatever new topic I chose to discuss, often how he was doing in sports or really just anything to put the focus back on him. He was much more interesting to talk about, after all. After we finished eating he would say a polite goodbye to my father and then we would go back up to my room. I relaxed immediately every time we were alone together. It was the only time I could really be myself. Achilles was the only one who understood me in a way that no one else ever could. This was in part, of course, because of the past we shared, but I thought that maybe it could be something else as well. Something that had existed even before we had first met. I sighed and flopped down on my bed, catching Achilles’ attention. He raised an eyebrow at me, looking sort of amused.

“What?” I asked, vague amusement crossing my own features as well. He just shook his head.

“Nothing..” He responded, but it sounded as if he had something else to say. I quirked an eyebrow and sat up, holding my hands out to him. He took them and I pulled him down into my lap.

“Are you sure it’s nothing?” I asked, beginning to press small kisses to his neck. He laughed softly.

“That tickles..” He said and I smiled against his skin.

“Good.” I responded and continued to kiss him, moving down his chest and sliding down little by little, which was just a little hard with him on top of me, but I managed. He watched me, cheeks pinkening just the tiniest bit as I moved farther and farther down his body.

“Did you lock the door?” He asked me, perhaps as a diversion tactic, but it was a good question because I hadn’t. I shook my head and he nodded and got up to lock it before returning to the bed. I hummed softly.

“Lay down,” I instructed him and he nodded, laying down. I tugged at the hem of his shirt and he removed it. I removed mine as well and returned to kissing down his torso, feeling his abdomen muscles tighten a bit underneath my lips. I smiled up at him and he looked away, looking embarrassed. I fumbled with the buckle on his jeans for a few moments before finally unclasping them and tugging them down slightly, just enough to expose him. I felt his long fingers threading into my hair and looked up at him again, this time grinning up at him.

“You can’t be too loud, my dad’ll hear..” He just nodded down at me, rolling his bottom lip in between his teeth. I sucked in a small breath at the sight of him. He was at my mercy and looked just as incredible as he always did. I loved seeing him like this, in a way that no one else had or would. He tugged on my hair lightly and I heard him gasp softly as I moved to run my tongue over his length, still watching him to gauge his reaction. His eyes close halfway, long eyelashes fluttering. I took him into my mouth and felt him arch slightly against the bed. His breaths were coming in sharp shallow pants, as if he had just finished a run. I hummed around him and ran my tongue over his head. He whispered my name, fingers tangling tighter into my dark hair. I smiled and swallowed around him, beginning to move slightly and felt his hips stutter up slightly. He was trying to control himself but was having a hard time keeping hold of both his voice and his actions. I continued like this for a few more moments, licking and sucking until he let out a broken and stifled moan, biting down hard on his lip. I tasted him on my tongue and pulled back with a small cough and his eyes widened a bit, obviously not intending to have done that. I smiled slightly.

“At least give me some sort of a warning next time..” I murmured, amusement gracing my features. He pulled me close to him and kissed me. I was sure he could taste himself on my lips and then he was shoving his hand down the front of my pants. I gasped against him, surprised by the action, before leaning into it, rolling my hips into his warm hand and kissing him fervently. It was not long before my body jolted against his and the front of my pants felt damper than they had previously. I broke the kiss, panting against his lips, and then we were laughing, tiredly and out of breath.

“I think I need a shower..” I murmured and he nodded in agreement.

“Do you think we could both sneak in without your dad noticing?” He asked hopefully. I snorted.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH my GOD i'm so embarrassed i was like shrieking while i wrote that i am a sinner i'm ace what is wrong with me aaaaaaa


	6. my treat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> much more fluff in this one. ice cream before dinner. damn  
> Here's the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/eggar00/playlist/0MwxynrvbC6nPASUICBc5e) I made for them  
> hit me up at [mothurl.tumblr.com](http://mothurl.tumblr.com/) for update info

The sun was bright in the sky and all was right in the world on this day, the happiest one I had had this year. Achilles and I had both been accepted to schools in the same town which meant we would be able to live together and study what we wanted at the same time. The school I had applied to was much less prestigious than his was but it didn’t matter. I was happy with my choice and with my full scholarship. I did not know what they had seen in me but I was glad that whatever it was had shown through. I sat on the bleachers, watching Achilles run laps with the track team. Even without the blood of Thetis he still outshone all of his competitors. It was no wonder he was accepted to his school on a full athletic scholarship. I smiled slightly as I watched him and he seemed to take notice because he waved up towards me as he ran. I waved back and cheered for him, probably looking pretty stupid but not caring.

By the time he finished with practice he was a bit tired out but not as much as the rest of the team. I went down to meet him and handed him his water bottle. He smiled and thanked me. I stared at him for a few moments and this seemed to amuse him a little bit. He raised an eyebrow.

“What? Have I got something on my face?” He asked, laughing slightly. I shook my head and smiled.

“No.. I was just thinking about how beautiful you look when you run.” He grinned at that and I smiled back.

“Do you want to go get ice cream with me?” He asked and I nodded, following him to his car.

When we arrived at the ice cream parlor I looked at all the flavours, then to Achilles.

“What are you going to get.. I can’t decide..” I looked again to all the flavours and hummed softly to myself. I kind of wanted something chocolate-ish but it was hard to pick. Achilles came up behind me and looked at the flavours as well.

“Whatever you want to get, it’s my treat. Dinner too. We’re going out to celebrate.” He stated it so matter-of-factly that I didn’t want to argue, still it seemed a bit much for him to pay for both this and then dinner.

“Are you sure that’s alright..?” I asked. “That’s kind of a lot..” He just smiled and nodded.

“I’m positive. Let me treat you.” He put his arm around me and I grinned at him, kissing his cheek quickly in thanks before looking back to the ice cream to decide what to get. I ended up choosing rocky road and he chose pistachio, to which I wrinkled my nose slightly. It had never really been a preference of mine but if he liked it I wasn’t going to put it down or anything.

When we had ordered our ice cream and he had paid we took them out to the car with us, sitting on the hood as we ate it. I made a joke about us being like a movie from the 90’s and he rolled his eyes and put some ice cream on my nose. I rubbed it off and stuck my tongue out at him, to which he laughed, then I laughed. We finished up our ice cream and got back in the car, deciding to go to Olive Garden since we could afford it and singing along to a song on the radio as we drove along. Everything was perfect. I smiled over at Achilles and he smiled back at me before turning back to the road. It only took a few minutes to get to our destination since our town was so small, and we were able to find a parking spot fairly easily, hopping out of the car and heading into the restaurant. The hostess seated us fairly quickly and we smiled at each other from opposite sides of a booth near the back. As we looked at the menu I began to think about our previous life in Greece, all the things we had now that we didn’t have then.

“How did we survive so long without toilets..” I murmured offhandedly to myself and heard Achilles snort from across from me. I looked up at him and he was looking at me with a sort of strange expression.

“What made you think of that..?” He asked and it became apparent that he was also considering things that we lived our whole lives without before. I laughed.

“I don’t know I was just thinking.. We lived without so much.. Deodorant and toothpaste and toilet paper… Dude..” I trailed off and he started to laugh. I looked at him and then started laughing as well. Something about the train of thought was strangely hilarious and we found ourselves laughing harder and harder about it, completely forgetting about looking at our menus to see what we wanted to order. By the time the waitress came around to ask us what we wanted we had to scramble to decide what we were going to eat. She did ask us if we needed a little more time to decide but I stupidly said “No, we’re fine!” Before hurriedly ordering the first thing that caught my eye, chicken parm. Achilles quickly ordered cheese ravioli and flashed the waitress a smile that nearly knocked her over. She wrote down our orders and took our menus, leaving us to get back to laughing and reminiscing about the past.

Dinner went very pleasantly and we found ourselves continuing to talk about our past life together, leaving out details of the war and of our deaths and instead focusing on more pleasant moments, of the cave, of our childhood, of reasons why we might have been given a second chance. Our food arrived and we continued to talk as we eat it, finishing up after about an hour and paying the bill. We held hands on the way out of the restaurant and Achilles drove me home, kissing me softly before I got out of the car. I thanked him for dinner and walked back inside of my house, flopping down on my bed when I got into my room and sighing. I wanted to marry him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk idk i needed to get this out of my system. im thinking of finishing up the last two chapters today hhhhh


	7. they'll find us in a week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sad sad sad  
>  Here's the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/eggar00/playlist/0MwxynrvbC6nPASUICBc5e) I made for them  
> hit me up at [mothurl.tumblr.com](http://mothurl.tumblr.com/) for update info

Graduation passed by in a blur and before long both Achilles and I found ourselves packing up our clothes and belongings to start our new lives. Our birthdays were both in the summer so we had a little longer to wait until we were officially adults, but we had found an apartment equidistant from both our schools and we were eager to move in together and begin a new chapter of this life with one another. When I was finished packing the last box full of my clothes I heard a car pull up out front and looked out the window to see Achilles. He honked his horn and I carried the last box I had out to the front yard with a grin on my face.

“Are you going to help me put my things in your car or do I have to do it myself?” I asked and he smiled and turned off the car, climbing out to help me with my things. I didn’t have very many boxes luckily and so we were able to fit both of our stuff into his car with a fair amount of ease. I had said goodbye to my father this morning before he left for work and Achilles had said goodbye to his mother before coming to get me so all that was left to do was to drive.

I got into the passenger seat of his car and buckled up, watching him as he got into the driver’s side and smiling. I was nearly bouncing with excitement but managed to keep my composure as he started up the car and pulled back on to the road, using the navigation feature on his phone to guide us to our new town. Our new home. I put in a mix CD that I had made for the drive and hummed softly along to one of the songs. I had never been really musical but I loved to hear Achilles sing. I smiled when he began to hum as well and looked out the window, watching our town pass by as we drove.

 

Apparently I had fallen asleep at some point during the drive because when I opened my eyes next the song had changed and the sun was lower in the sky. I blinked groggily and looked at Achilles, yawning softly.

“Shit sorry.. I didn’t realize I fell asleep.. How long have I been sleeping for..?” I asked and he turned to look at me shrugging and smiling.

“It’s alright. You’ve only been asleep for about an hour.. We still have a few to go.” I nodded and took his free hand in my own, watching him as he drove. He squeezed my hand lightly and looked over to me again with a small smile, singing along softly to the song that was playing. I just grinned and listened to him, enjoying the sound of his sweet wonderful voice mixing with the music that was playing.

“I love you..” I murmured, and for a moment he stopped singing, looking over to me and forgetting once again to keep his eyes on the road.

“I love you to-” He started, then it hit us.

A swerving driver, I could only assume drunk, had slammed into us from the side. Time seemed to stand still as the car rolled. Glass was everywhere and I could hear the screeching of tires from somewhere that didn’t seem like here. I heard a scream but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.. Was it me? My mouth was open and there was a pounding in my ears. Achilles’ body was draped over mine and I felt a sharp pain just below my ribs. Was this real? Was this happening? I couldn’t think straight. I think I was bleeding but I couldn’t feel any pain. I looked down at Achilles. The car had stopped flipping by now and we were still, holding each other close. Was I crying? Was he crying? My ears were still ringing from the crash and something warm and thick was dripping down my face. It slightly registered with me that it was blood. Achilles smiled up at me, weakly cupping my face. He was crying and I knew then that I was crying as well. My vision was fading but I didn’t want to leave him. It wasn’t fair. There was a shard of metal penetrating both of us, connecting us even now. I knew they would find us soon, the crash would bring paramedics, but it was far too late for that. With my remaining strength I clutched Achilles to my chest, grateful for our time together and that our two lives combined had nearly formed a full one. I kissed him, feeling the breath leave his body, then my world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am crying i hope u r crying too


	8. epilogue: new beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things begin anew  
>  Here's the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/eggar00/playlist/0MwxynrvbC6nPASUICBc5e) I made for them  
> hit me up at [mothurl.tumblr.com](http://mothurl.tumblr.com/) for update info

My pager beeped and I hurried off to meet my next appointment. Some injured Olympiad as I had heard from the passing nurses who had apparently strained his Achilles tendon. I huffed softly to myself. Why did I always get the patients with the greatest sense of entitlement? Chances are he would be arrogant and not want to listen to a doctor’s advice about making sure to rest and not put too much strain on the injury.

I rounded a corner, nearly bumping into a young nurse wheeling a gurney to the front of the hospital. I apologized and continued on to my patient’s room, finally reaching the door and knocking before hearing whoever was on the other side say “come in.” I entered and looked at my patient. He was facing the window but there was something familiar about his blonde curly hair. I quickly shook off the notion, but then he turned to me and my breath caught in my throat. I saw his eyes alight with recognition and he smiled at me.

“Have we met?”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading!! again you can find me at [mothurl.tumblr.com](http://mothurl.tumblr.com/) if you want to talk about this or anything else!!

**Author's Note:**

> idk I know I added too much high school angst at the beginning but that's ahh idk !! I had a hard time choosing last names for the two of them because aaaa it was already almost too much to keep their first names the same and ughughgughhhh,,,  
> sorry its so short ahhh!!!  
> I've never written a fic before so please comment and give feedback if you can!!


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